If you've been cutting yourself, first, keep in mind: you are NOT alone! Cutting is a serious and fairly unknown epidemic among teenagers. Sometimes the stress of life gets to be too much, and cutting seems like a good release. Although it may seem harmless at first, cutting has serious physical, emotional, and social repercussions. Read on to find out how to stop.

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Steps

1

Admit to yourself that you need to change. Tell yourself, "I need to stop cutting." Say it out loud if you need to. Say it as many times as you need to believe it - and to accept that you may need help and support to make that change.

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2

Seek help and support. Start talking to a therapist and supportive family members immediately about your problem and your desire to change it. Then, whenever you have the urge to cut, instead of going straight for the sharp object, take a deep breath, and reach out for help. Go straight to talk to someone you care about, be it your mom, dad, sibling, friend, etc. Talk about what happened, how it made you feel, and why it made you feel that way. Just let it all out.

3

Find alternatives to cutting that distract and fulfill you. Have a range of options in the back of your mind at all times. This will help you pick an alternative in the moment when you feel the urge to self-harm. Go for a walk or a run. Talk to a friend. Listen to music (make sure it is uplifting music. Do not listen to something you know will make you want to cut more). Write in a journal. Take a long bath or shower. Go shopping. Whatever you love to do, do it. It'll make you feel a whole lot better than cutting.

4

Get regular help from a therapist, counselor, and/or support group. Just sitting down and talking to someone who won't judge you can be a huge relief. You can get to the bottom of the real reason you're cutting, and even bring up underlying things you never even knew were bothering you.

If your family can't afford therapy, try talking to your school guidance counselor or looking through the phone book for people who offer free psychological counseling. Most likely there will be a few listings for trained people who offer free help. Or you can even talk to your school counselor about free counselors in the area. Usually he/she will have a few contacts of people who offer free help.

5

Substitute cutting with safer alternatives. If you feel like you need to, try giving yourself some harmless pain. Harmless pain means you can get the same feeling you do when cutting but without hurting yourself. Ways to do this include: eating a hot chilli, taking a cold shower, holding some ice cubes tightly (dye them red with food colouring if the sight of blood is important to you) or place elastic bands around your wrists, and snap your arm or wherever you usually cut at. You could also draw or doodle in the spot you would usually cut with a red ink pen, or putting some red food dye on your wrist to simulate blood, if that’s what you want to see.

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Tips

If you have a strong urge to cut, but you know you shouldn't, try putting a rubber band around your wrist and snapping it whenever you have the urge to cut. Don't try to hurt yourself of course, but it'll give you the same feeling without scarring, or bodily harm, or a chance of dying. It will also leave red swellings on your arms that look somewhat like scars. The swelling only lasts for about 5 hours, and the redness will go away overnight.

Get involved with support groups such as To Write Love On Her Arms or The Butterfly Project; they're centred around helping people stop self-harming and are youth-based.

If you've tried therapy and you don't like it, or it doesn't work for you, that's totally fine. There are usually Teen Self-Help meetings that meet every week or so and talk about ways of overcoming problems, healthy alternatives to cutting, and how to stop cutting when you have the urge to. You can make new friends who have had the same problems as you. Knowing you're not alone is key in the process of healing. Ask your school guidance counselor if he/she has any listings of Teen Self Help meetings near you.

Write a list of people who cares about you and wouldn't want you to cut. You don't have to write, but just remind yourself that there are people that do care about you, that you're loved. Being scarred doesn't mean that you're unlovable.

Put the forever sign on your wrist with red and if that doesn't help, take a red pen and draw lines where you cut.

Warnings

Cutting could lead to tendon injuries and/or possibly cause serious bleeding and injury to your hands, legs, hips or stomach.

If you ever have thoughts of suicide, tell an adult now. They can get you immediate help.

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